Mailer blanks are typically 81/2 inch wide sheets so that they can pass through conventional printers. These sheets have fold lines and adhesive strips so that after passing through a printer the blank can be folded and secured for mailing. Current printers and printer software can print across the entire width of the blank, and to take advantage of this capability it is desirable to make the side edge margins (where the adhesive strips are primarily located) as narrow as possible to provide the largest possible printing area.
In typical C-fold and Z-fold mailer configurations the blanks have adhesive strips on the front and rear faces of the sheet. However, the adhesive strips on the opposing faces of adjacent blanks in a stack must not be aligned or the adhesive strips may adhere the blanks together. Thus, where, as frequently happens, the design of the blank requires that adhesive strips be located in aligned positions on the front and rear face of the blank, the adhesive strips must be laterally offset so that they are not aligned when the blanks are stacked. When this offset, the thickness of the strips, and manufacturing tolerances are taken into consideration, the margins must be fairly large and thus the printable area of the blank is reduced.